Unbreakable
by KaylaMicael
Summary: A Wakko's Wish story... a what-if scenario that I've been thinking of for a long time. What if the cannon shot really had injured one of them?
1. Chapter 1

Dot sat cross-legged on the hospital bed, clutching the pillow to her chest as tears stung in her eyes. Scratchy said that the operation had been a success, and she was well on the way to a full recovery. But that news didn't bring her any joy. All she could think of Wakko, and how close the means of it had come to killing him.

_It still could._

Her throat tightened and she pressed her face into the pillow. Despite her closed eyes, she could see it clearly.

_Her little act had cleared the way for Wakko to reach the star, as she had known it would, and she and Yakko watched as the spirit told him to make his wish. He stood still for a few moments, then the star faded. Yakko and Dot exchanged grins, but then looked up just in time to see their brother stagger, then slump forward into the snow._

_He didn't get back up._

_They exchanged another look, and this time Dot could see her own alarm mirrored in his face. Immediately, both leaped up and ran to where Wakko was laying. Yakko reached him first and turned him onto his back. Out of the corner of her eye, Dot saw two coins slip out of her brother's hand, but her attention was quickly drawn to his face. His eyes were closed, his expression slack._

_"Wakko?" Yakko said urgently, shaking his shoulder. His head lolled limply, but there was no response. A sickening feeling started in Dot's stomach, and she looked at Yakko. Looking just as scared as she was, he put an ear to their brother's chest._

_"He's breathing!"_

_Without a second word, Yakko lifted him in his arms and started running. Dot managed to keep enough presence of mind to snatch up the coins before racing after._

A faint little sob escaped Dot as she hugged the pillow. It had turned out that the cannon shot had hurt him, and pretty badly. How he pushed himself to run, no one could say. Most likely, he was moving on pure adrenaline. Dot lifted her head and glanced across the room, feeling her heart fall again at the sight of her brothers.

Wakko was laying in the other bed, where he'd been for the past two days. Yakko was sitting beside him, shoulders slumped and his head in his hands. Dot was almost just as worried about him; he'd been blaming himself ever since they found out what had happened, and she didn't think he'd slept more than two hours a night.

Taking a deep breath, Dot set down her pillow and slid off the bed, padding over to where Yakko was sitting and placing a hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. Her brother looked up at her, his eyes completely dull. A quiet, bitter laugh escaped him before he lowered his eyes again.

"No. I'm not, _**he's**_ not." His fists clenched. "How did I not notice something was wrong?"

Dot bit her lip at the anger in his voice.

"I didn't notice either. He just didn't…"

"Didn't tell anyone," Yakko finished. He let out a heavy sigh and slumped in his seat. "He never does."

A sickening feeling of guilt filled Dot. All this time, her brother had never once thought of himself, only her. Everything he did had been for her sake, and he could now very well end up dying for it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "This is all my fault…"

Yakko immediately stood and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"No, sis. It's not your fault. You're not the one who hurt him."

Dot sniffled, feeling a flare of anger. Salazar had ruined so many lives already, and now because of him, they might lose another of the only family they had left. She looked up at Yakko.

"If I'm not supposed to blame myself, neither are you."

Yakko drew back and sighed, his eyes moving to Wakko again.

"I'm supposed to protect you guys. When we lost Mom and Dad, I promised I would never let anything happen to ya." He dropped back into his seat and let out a sharp scoff. "What a joke."

"It wasn't a joke to us," Dot said firmly. "You did your best. I know that, and Wakko knows too."

Yakko looked at her, then a faint half smile crossed his face.

"Thanks, sis."

Dot smiled back, then looked at the dark circles under her brother's eyes.

"You look like you haven't slept in months. I can watch him."

Yakko bit his lip, and she knew he was going to protest. Immediately, she widened her eyes and gave him her ultimate cute look.

"Pleeease?"

It had the desired effect. Her brother looked at her, and she could see him caving. She continued gazing at him, and finally he sighed.

"Okay. But if anything happens…"

"I know, get you. Go on, I've got this."

Yakko nodded, then stood with a soft grunt. With another look at Wakko, he trudged across the room to his bed. Dot waited until she was sure he was asleep, then turned back to her other brother. She glanced at the empty chair, but the urge to be closer pulled at her. Walking to the bed, she hoisted herself up and settled down beside Wakko. For a few moments she simply listened to his slow, heavy breathing. Then she reached out a hand and gently laid it on his chest, so she could feel the slow beats of his heart. The sensation gave her hope.

_Cheer up and never give up hope._

The memory brought a sad smile to her face.

"You always were the positive one," she whispered.

There was no response. A lump rose in Dot's throat, and she swallowed hard before continuing.

"But it's kind of hard without you. So you've gotta pull through this, okay?"

Tears filled her eyes, but she struggled not to let them fall. If she cried, it would be like giving up. Her brother never gave up on her… there was no way she was giving up on him.

()()()()()

Two days. Two days, and nothing had changed. Yakko rubbed his eyes as the discouraging thought kept running through his mind. For just a while, he had thought fate was finally cutting him and his siblings a break… that things might finally be changing for the better.

_Now this happens._

With a heavy sigh, the eldest Warner glanced across the room at his sister, whom he had finally convinced to get some sleep. He had always known that there was a chance he might lose one of his siblings, but he never imagined it would happen this way. He shook his head, suddenly angry at himself.

_Stop it! It hasn't happened yet. Wakko wouldn't be thinking this way._

Yakko focused his attention back on his unconscious brother. Scratchansniff had told them that the lack of change wasn't good or bad, but that didn't bring either of them any comfort. Yakko had done his best to keep up a brave face the past few days, but it was wearing on him and he didn't know how much longer he could keep it up. Wakko was always the more optimistic one… the one who saw the best in every situation. He was also the most giving, willing to do anything for his family.

_But he shouldn't have had to take it this far._

Swallowing hard, Yakko reached out and ran a gentle hand through his brother's hair. After Wakko had left last year, he had constantly worried that something might happen to him. It was only when he finally came home that Yakko had been able to put that fear aside. Nothing could happen to any of them as long as they were together.

Yet it had happened, and it had happened on his watch. And he hadn't even noticed anything was wrong.

As much as it pained Yakko to admit it, over the years he had become so caught up in caring for his sister that he had forgotten to give the same attention to his brother. Wakko had his problems too, but he had learned to keep them quiet. Struggling to push down the sickening guilt he felt, Yakko looked at Dot again. She blamed herself too, he knew. His siblings should never had had to experience the hardship and pain they had seen.

_They wouldn't have if Mom and Dad were here._

As his throat tightened, Yakko continued to stroke his brother's head.

"I'm sorry, sib," he said softly. "This never should've happened to you. I know I haven't really been there for ya, and I wish I was. But you did it… Dot's fine now. She needs you, though. We both do."

Yakko took a deep breath. He had never said anything this deeply personal to either of his siblings, but the words seemed to come on their own.

"Please…" His voice broke a little, and he bit his lip before continuing. "We can't lose you too."


	2. Chapter 2

Everything was black. Wakko looked around, unable to make anything out. He lifted a hand and waved it in front of his face but couldn't see a thing. How long had he been in this dark place? He couldn't say. What about his siblings? What about Dot?

_I have to know if she's okay._

But he wouldn't be figuring that out anytime soon… he could hear her and Yakko's voices very faintly at first, but now he couldn't hear anything. And he couldn't say if he'd just been dreaming. Without any notion of where he was going, he started walking. Even if there wasn't much point, he didn't want to just stand there anymore.

There was no way to know how long he'd been walking before something happened. Up ahead, he could see a very faint light. As he moved closer, it kept getting brighter. A smile tugged at his face. But then, his ears twitched at a faint sound, almost too quiet to hear. Stopping, he listened. It took a long time, but eventually he heard it again and this time he could make it out… a faint voice calling his name.

At first the voice was unfamiliar to him, but then it came again, louder, and something in his memory stirred. His eyes widened.

_Is that... no, it can't be…_

Then another voice came, deeper but accented exactly like his own. A lump rose in Wakko's throat, and he whirled around to see two faces that he had only seen in the farthest recesses of his memory.

"M-… Mom?" he croaked. "Dad?"

Both smiled at him. Wakko took a shaky step forward, then he was running. The next thing he knew, he was swept up in his mother's arms. He pressed his face into her shoulder, tears streaming down his face.

"I… I missed you so much…"

A large hand gently ruffled his hair.

"We missed you too," said his father's voice. For a long time, Wakko couldn't speak. Finally, he raised his head and looked at his mother. She was smiling, but also looked sad. He wondered why.

"Why are you here?" he asked. His mother brushed a hand against his cheek.

"For you, sweetheart."

Wakko blinked.

"Me?"

His father gently ruffled his hair.

"Yes. But it's up to you to decide if you want to come."

Wakko blinked again, frowning slightly as he processed the words. He could go with them? He wanted to… he had missed them so much and didn't want to lose them again. And he knew somehow that if he went back, it would hurt. He didn't want to feel that pain again.

But what about Yakko and Dot?

That thought brought him up short. If he didn't come back, he knew, with a certainty he couldn't explain, that they would blame themselves and never recover from it. The thought made Wakko's throat tighten. He didn't want to lose his parents again, but he couldn't leave his siblings. He just couldn't. He looked up at his parents, and when they both smiled sadly he knew they understood. His mother placed a hand on his cheek and kissed his forehead.

"Give them our love."

Wakko nodded and nestled against her.

"I will."

He felt the arms around him grow tighter and tears filled his eyes.

"Will you wait?" he asked softly.

"Of course," his mother replied. He felt his father ruffle his hair again.

"We'll be here."

After a few more moments, his mother set him on his feet and gave him a gentle push in a particular direction.

"Go on. Never forget, we love you."

"We love you, too," Wakko whispered, tears spilling from his eyes. He started walking, then hesitated and looked back. His parents smiled and waved. Wakko waved back before turning and started walking again. Soon he was alone again. He didn't know how long he'd been walking before he heard a faint sound. Hesitating, he strained his ears to listen. It came again, and this time he discerned it as a faint and familiar voice.

Yakko.

A smile tugging at his face, Wakko started to run toward the voice. It became clearer and clearer, until it sounded like it was coming from right in front of him. Stopping, Wakko reached out toward it and felt a hand grip his. He closed his hand around it, letting it pull him forward.

()()()()()()

It felt like hours had passed. Yakko sighed as he kept hold of his brother's hand, wondering if he should keep talking to him. Honestly, he couldn't see the point. Wherever Wakko was, he clearly couldn't hear him. Lost in his depressing thoughts, he almost didn't notice the twitch in his hand.

_Wait, what?_

Yakko's head snapped up, his eyes going wide. As he watched in disbelief, Wakko's hand tightened around his. He whipped around.

"Dot!"

His sister jerked upright with a sleepy, confused expression. When she looked at him, her eyes went wide and she jumped up, rushed over and scrambled up onto the bed. There was a faint groan, and Yakko felt his heart start to pound. His brother stirred, his brow furrowing. Then finally, slowly, his eyes flickered open. Letting out a quiet sob, Dot flung her arms around his neck. Wakko winced, then lifted an arm and wrapped it around her. Tears filling his eyes, Yakko ran a hand through his brother's hair.

"Hey, sib," he said softly. "How ya feeling?"

Wakko blinked, then spoke in a quiet, croaky voice.

"H-hurts…"

Yakko smiled sadly.

"Yeah, I bet. You got banged up pretty good."

Wakko's eyes flicked to his sister, who was still clinging to him and crying. Yakko saw the question in his eyes.

"It's okay… she's fine."

Relief filled Wakko's face, and he squeezed Yakko's hand.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

Yakko smiled again, leaning forward to press his forehead to his brother's.

"Yeah, buddy. I'm okay."

Wakko smiled, and Yakko returned it before wrapping his arms around both siblings. Finally, his family was together, and safe.


	3. Chapter 3

Wakko sat on his bed, listlessly fingering his hat as sadness weighed on him. Ever since he had woken up, he'd been thinking about his parents. He had been so young when they died, it was hard to remember what it was like. But now he knew, because he had experienced it all over again. He hadn't told his siblings about his dream yet… mainly because it was too hard to talk about it. But he knew he couldn't avoid it forever.

The middle Warner's thoughts were interrupted by a rustling sound. He looked up to see Yakko sitting up as well.

"Wakko?" He immediately got up and walked over. "What are you doing up? Something hurt?"

Wakko managed a smile. He'd been doing his best to humor his brother, since it was obvious that he still felt bad about everything.

"A little, but it's not too bad."

But Yakko wasn't willing to let it go so easily.

"So what's wrong then?"

Wakko shifted uneasily. As much as he didn't want to make his siblings feel any worse, it felt just as wrong to keep lying to them. He weighed his options, then finally released a heavy sigh.

"It's just…" He bit his lip, then lowered his gaze. "I miss them."

It didn't take Yakko long to work out who he was talking about. With a sigh, he sat on the bed and pulled him into a gentle, one armed hug.

"Yeah, I know. Me too."

Wakko felt a sudden urge to tell him everything, but still he hesitated. His worries weren't for himself… he knew that he had scared his siblings pretty badly, and he hated to make them feel even worse. Finally, though, he just couldn't stop the words from tumbling out.

"I saw them."

He could hear the confusion in his brother's voice.

"What do you mean? When?"

"When I was… out," Wakko replied, a slight quiver in his voice. It still scared him thinking how close a call he'd had. "They said… I could go with them. And I wanted to."

He finally managed to look up, and his throat tightened at the look on Yakko's face.

"But at the same time I didn't," he rushed on. "I didn't want to leave you guys. And now, it just feels like… like I've lost them all over again, and I… I just…"

His voice caught, and he looked down again as tears spilled from his eyes. Before he could continue, he was pulled into another hug. Yakko's voice trembled with emotion.

"I know."

Wakko pressed closer, sniffling as his brother gently stroked his head. At the sound of soft footsteps, he turned to see Dot climbing up on the bed. She looked at him with wide, sad eyes and he knew she had heard everything. Scooting over, she wrapped her arms around him too.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked in a soft voice.

Wakko felt a painful hitch in his chest as he tried to suppress a sob and winced. He felt his siblings tense and quickly reassured them.

"I'm fine."

He bit his lip as he considered how to answer Dot's question.

"I… I was scared," he whispered finally. "I didn't want to… to make things worse, and…"

To his surprise, he felt a light bop on the back of his head.

"What did I tell you about thinking that way?" his sister scolded gently. Wakko couldn't hold back a watery chuckle.

"Sorry."

After a while, they drew back and Dot placed a hand on his arm.

"Can you tell us about it?"

Wakko shifted, still uneasy, but finally took a deep breath and began to talk. Once he had started, everything came tumbling out all at once. He kept his eyes down, only lifting them when he passed on his parents' last request. The looks on their faces struck him to the core, and he looked away again before he would start to cry. The silence dragged on for several moments, but then he felt both siblings press close in another hug.

"Thanks, sib," Yakko whispered. "For coming back."

A faint smile tugging at his face, Wakko lifted his arms to hug them back.

"I had to. All for one and one for all times three, right?"

There was a soft laugh from both his siblings.

"Right."

They sat like that for a very long time.

()()()()()()

"Okay, Wakko, take it easy."

Dot held back a giggle as her brother gave Yakko a half smile.

"Yeah, Yakko, I heard you the first time… and the five times you said it yesterday."

Yakko looked sheepish.

"Sorry."

He stepped back.

"Okay, go ahead."

Wakko started taking slow, careful steps across the room, then back again. He didn't show it, but Dot could tell that just this was wearing him out. She was proven right when he stumbled, then his legs gave out. She made a move to help, but Yakko beat her to it and caught him before he hit the ground.

"Whoa, careful!"

Dot saw her brother's jaw clench with frustration, and she felt a pang of sympathy for him. She knew what it felt like to not be able to do much.

"You're doing better," she said reassuringly. "It'll just take a while."

Wakko looked up at her, then a slight smile crossed his face.

"Yeah."

He still sounded down, but Yakko grinned and patted his back.

"C'mon, sib. If there's one thing we know after all this, it's that you can do anything."

Wakko looked down, looking uneasy.

"You… really think so?"

Dot smiled and hopped down from her seat on the bed. She walked over and gave his head a gentle tap.

"Start using that rock hard head of yours. We always did."

Her smile widened when Wakko looked at her, then his face broke into his usual goofy grin. Yakko grinned too, then placed a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, you better sit down."

Wakko was silent for a few moments as his siblings helped him back to his bed.

"Hey, guys…" he said softly, then looked up and smiled again. "Thanks for not giving up on me."

Dot wrapped her arms around him while Yakko ruffled his hair.

"Like we ever would."

**AN: Well, this may not be one of my best works, but it's an idea I've had for a long time and I decided to just give it a go. Anyone who read it, I hope you enjoyed it, and those who reviewed, thank you. God Bless!**


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